This section will look at the basic steps required to add a seedling request.
Click on the Requests tab and select Seedling Request.
The basic instructions for adding a seedling request are very simple. Learning about the way some fields are designed to work may take a little more time. Detailed information about some fields has been included below in the Fields to Know About section. For more information you can refer to the Online Help feature within the SPAR application.
The Seedling Request screen is very long so the descriptions have been divided into 4 sections based on the similarity of content added to the screens. The following list will help you understand how each set of information will be used.
For each of these 4 sections we have included an excerpt of the screen to help you understand rules related to the fields.
Administrative information
The following screen capture represents the top of the Seedling Request screen. The information we are referring to as "Administrative" in nature appears below the following fields:
Seedling Request Screen (excerpt 1 of 4)
SPAR will use your UserID to identify you and will automatically default the Request Org Unit field to the correct District or Branch for ministry users or the Request Agency field to the correct client code for non-ministry users.
The Location field is a free text field for you to enter information which will help you keep track of which location you are making this request for. This could include your agency's own names for the planting site.
In a request, you must enter one of the following fields or combination of fields depending on which information you have:
TIP: If you type in any of the first four items listed above, then scroll to the bottom of the screen and press Go to Lot Selection, the management unit information will automatically update based on the opening or licence information.
Planting site information
This information will help SPAR return a list of suitable lots for you to select from.
Seedling Request Screen (excerpt 2 of 4)
Seedling production information
Use this section of the screen to indicate the species, quantity and stock type information for the seedlings to be produced in the nursery.
Seedling Request Screen (excerpt 3 of 4)
The Nursery field is not identified as a mandatory field however you should enter a nursery before you change the status of the seedling request to APP (approved).
Additional criteria
The information in this area of the screen is optional.
Seedling Request Screen (excerpt 4 of 4)
Use the Lot Number(s) field to include a specific lot number in the Lot Selection screen.
TIP: When you return to the Seedling Request screen after adding a request the screen will have 2 additional buttons displayed at the top: Delete Request, and Cancel Request. The difference between these buttons is based on the status of the request. See the Tips and Troubleshooting section of this Module to learn more about these features.
Querying additional information
The Lot Selection screen also allows you to explore further information pertaining to each lot by providing navigation to screens. Information about these screens is included in the table below.
Button | Screen Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Transfer guide Exceptions | Displays the geographic information for your planting site and the selected lot side by side. Problems and recommendations are also recorded. If you choose to override SPAR's recommendations and warnings (for example, E or W) you will need to enter a reason in the Override Comment field. | |
Sowing Rules Exceptions | Displays the sowing rules applied to a specific lot. You can discuss any changes in the sowing rule with the nursery. If both parties decide to change the sowing rules then enter the request using the default sowing rules and email SEEDHELP with the alternate sowing rules to use (cc to the nursery), showing seeds per cavity and oversow factor to be used. | |
Seedlot Detail Screen | This is the same screen you view from conducting a Lot Search. It contains detailed information about the lot, owners, tests, transactions, and more. | |
Seedlot Ownership/ Allocation | Owners of seedlots can change allocations of their stock between reserve and surplus using this screen. Although you can navigate to this screen from the Lot Selection screen, it is not a key part of adding a seedling request. |
Reserve vs surplus availability
Reserved and Surplus portions of lots are available for selection depending on the ownership and the funding source of the request. Refer to following table:
Lot Allocation | Lot Ownership | Lot Availability |
---|---|---|
Reserved | Ministry-owned | Available for selection by the owner agency. |
Reserved | Privately-owned | Available for selection by the owner agency - any location code. Agencies should use seeds from their own location. If selecting from another location within their agency, the requester is responsible for any agreement with that location. |
Surplus | Ministry-owned | Available for selection by any agency. If the request is non-Ministry funded, the request agency will be invoiced for the seed used. |
Surplus | Privately-owned | Available for selection by the owner agency - any location code. Also available for selection by any Ministry or private request agency in PND status. The request agency must make a purchase agreement with the owner agency. The owner agency must then verify the sale with the Tree Seed Centre in order for the Seedling Request to be changed to APP status. Alternately, a portion of a lot may be sold to another agency and the Tree Seed Centre upon notification would then transfer the ownership on SPAR. |
Once you have selected your lot and saved the information on the Lot Selection Screen SPAR will display the Seedling Request (confirm) screen. Use this opportunity to review the information one last time before you press the Confirm Save button.
This section provides you with some background information about the design of SPAR to help you understand some of the subtle features that can impact your seedling request.
Common error messages
Seedling request statuses
When you add a seedling request you can choose the appropriate status: Incomplete, Pending, or Approved. SPAR will react differently to the seedling request based on the status selected. The following table will help explain what is meant by the different statuses.
Abbreviation | Status | Explanation |
---|---|---|
INC | Incomplete | Use INC if you want to save the information you have already added but you do not have all of the mandatory information to complete the request. To update an Incomplete Seedling Request you can type the Request Key into the Seedling Request screen then make your updates and change the status. |
PND | Pending | SPAR defaults to PND status for seedling requests. The seed or vegetative lots for the order are committed for the request. Please note that the Tree Seed Centre will not action any pending seedling requests. |
APP | Approved | Use APP if you want to approve a seedling request from the Seedling Request Screen. Alternatively you can Approve a seedling request using the Seedling Request Approval screen. The seed or vegetative lots for the order are committed for the request. |
ACT | Active | ACT is a status to indicate that the Recommended Action Date has passed or an action has taken place on a seedling request, for example, the seed is in stratification. |
CAN | Cancel | Use CAN to cancel an Approved seedling request from the system. |
COM | Complete | COM is a status set after the Tree Seed Centre and indicates the seedling request has been shipped to the nursery. |
If you are having problems using SPAR and can't find the answers in this Tutorial or on SPAR's online Help Guide, contact: